CAPEC-670: Software Development Tools Maliciously Altered
An adversary with the ability to alter tools used in a development environment causes software to be developed with maliciously modified tools. Such tools include requirements management and database tools, software design tools, configuration management tools, compilers, system build tools, and software performance testing and load testing tools. The adversary then carries out malicious acts once the software is deployed including malware infection of other systems to support further compromises.
Last updated
Overview
CAPEC-670 (Software Development Tools Maliciously Altered) is a detailed-level attack pattern catalogued by MITRE in the Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC). It describes a recurring method attackers use to exploit software weaknesses.
What the attacker needs
Prerequisites
- An adversary would need to have access to a targeted developer’s development environment and in particular to tools used to design, create, test and manage software, where the adversary could ensure malicious code is included in software packages built through alteration or substitution of tools in the environment used in the development of software.
Skills required
- High skill: Ability to leverage common delivery mechanisms (e.g., email attachments, removable media) to infiltrate a development environment to gain access to software development tools for the purpose of malware insertion into an existing tool or replacement of an existing tool with a maliciously altered copy.
Consequences
What a successful CAPEC-670 attack can achieve.
Execute Unauthorized Commands
Affects: Integrity
Gain Privileges
Affects: Access Control
Modify Data, Read Data
Affects: Confidentiality
How to mitigate it
Defenses that reduce the risk of CAPEC-670.
- Have a security concept of operations (CONOPS) for the development environment that includes: Maintaining strict security administration and configuration management of requirements management and database tools, software design tools, configuration management tools, compilers, system build tools, and software performance testing and load testing tools.
- Avoid giving elevated privileges to developers.
Examples
An adversary with access to software build tools inside an Integrated Development Environment IDE alters a script used for downloading dependencies from a dependent code repository where the script has been changed to include malicious code implanted in the repository by the adversary.
Terminology & mappings
Mapped taxonomies
- ATTACK: Trusted Developer Utilities Proxy Execution (1127)
- ATTACK: Supply Chain Compromise: Compromise Software Dependencies and Development Tools (1195.001)
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about CAPEC-670.
- What is CAPEC-670?
- An adversary with the ability to alter tools used in a development environment causes software to be developed with maliciously modified tools. Such tools include requirements management and database tools, software design tools, configuration management tools, compilers, system build tools, and software performance testing and load testing tools. The adversary then carries out malicious acts once the software is deployed including malware infection of other systems to support further compromises.
- How do you prevent CAPEC-670?
- Have a security concept of operations (CONOPS) for the development environment that includes: Maintaining strict security administration and configuration management of requirements management and database tools, software design tools, configuration management tools, compilers, system build tools, and software performance testing and load testing tools.
- How severe is CAPEC-670?
- MITRE rates CAPEC-670 as High severity with low likelihood of attack.
References
Attack-pattern data is sourced from the MITRE CAPEC catalog (v3.9). Weakness associations link to the corresponding CWE entries on RadicalNotion.AI.
Defend against CAPEC-670
Track the CVEs and weaknesses attackers exploit with this technique, with AI-written analysis and remediation guidance.